Mail-catcher.



W. R. WEST.

MAIL CATCHER.

APPLICATION HLED JUNE 8,1916.

LQQQASSD Patented May1,1917.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

W. R. WEST.

MAIL CATCHER. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 8 1916.

1,224,433. Patented May 1, 1917.

2 SHEETS$HEET 2.

INVENTOR WITNESSES ATTORNEY it. o

WILLIAM R. WEST, OF SIMLA, COLORADO.

MAIL-CATCHER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May it, 1917.

Application filed June 8, 1916. Serial No. 102,550.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM R. VVEST, a citizen of the United States, residing at Simla, in the county of Elbert and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Catchers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved mail catcher and the principal object of the invention is to provide a mail catcher so constructed that several mail sacks may be suspended from a carrying ring connected with the train device and removed from the train device at the same time the catching arm of the train device takes a sack from the station device.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved type of station device rotatably mounted upon a carrying standard and provided with improved catching and delivering means and further provided with improved means for releasably holding the station device stationary upon its supporting standards.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved type of train device having an adjustable catching arm and also provided with improved means for releasably holding the sack carrying ring and preventing the ring from having side play.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved type of mail handling apparatus comprising a comparatively few parts.

This invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a view showing the improved mail handling apparatus in side elevation.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the improved mail handling apparatus.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of the upper arm of the station device.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the end portion of the lower arm of this station device.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of the outer end portion of the upper arm of the train device with the sack carrying ring in position for connection therewith.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line 6-6 of Fig. 1, and looking toward the carrying standard for the station device.

The station device is provided with a standard 10 mounted in a cement base 11 and provided with a shoulder 12 above which there is positioned a latch 13 as shown in Figs. 1 and 6. The frame 14? is provided with upper and lower arms 15 and 16, the inner ends of the arms being provided with eyes 1'? and 18 for rotatably mounting the frame upon the standard and the outer end portion being provided with sack holding and catching means. At the outer end of the arm 15, there are provided side fingers 19 having their inner end portions bent to provide pockets 20 and having their outer end portions provided with notches 21. The outer end portion of the lower arm 16 carries a spring clip 22 for engaging the lower ring 23 of a mail sack 24. Then putting the mail sack in place, the upper ring 25 is placed in the notch 21 of one of the fingers 19 and the lower ring is engaged by the clip 22 thus suspending the sack in the vertical position shown in Fig. 1. The sack will then be hung in a position to be taken by the train device which will approach from the direction of the second finger l9 and the second finger 19 will serve as means for removing a sack or sacks from the train device.

This train device comprises a frame 26 having upper and lower arms 27 and 28 which have their inner end portions provided with eyes 29 for fitting upon the pins 30 thus mounting the train device for swinging movement into and out of the car door 31. Abutments 32 are provided so that the extent to which the train device may move outwardly will be limited and the train device held extending at substantially right angles to the wall of the car when in a position for taking the sacks from the station device. The outer end portion 33 of this train device is curved as clearly shown in Fig. 2. This curved outer end portion of the arm 28 is slidably connected with the inner end portion and is releasably held in engagement therewith by means of the spring catch 34 thereby permitting the outer end portion of the arm to be removed and turned from the position shown in Fig. 2 to extend in the opposite direction, the upper arm 27 terminates at its outer end in fingers 35 which extend longitudinally of the car when the train device is extended and are adapted to pass through the sleeve 36 of the sack holding ring or hook 37. It should be noted that this sleeve 36 is ellipti cal in cross section and that therefore the hook 37 will be prevented from having side swing" which might tend to move the same out of the proper position for engagement by the finger 19 of the station device.

When in use, the sack 24 is connected with the-arms of the station device and this station device is moved to the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and releasably held in this position by the arms 38 of the collar 39 engaging the latch 13. This collar 39 is slidably mounted upon the inner end portion of the lower arm 16 and therefore when the sack 2a is taken from the station device and a sack from the train device delivered thereto, the frame 14 will swing around the standard with the collar in the position shown in Fig. 1. This will take up the force of a blow received and prevent damage. Sack or sacks to be delivered to the station device are tied to the ring or hook 37 and after the sleeve 36 has been placed upon the proper finger 35 the train device is swung outwardly to the operative position. The finger 19 will pass through the hook 87 thus removing the same from the finger 85 and at the same time, the arm 88 will catch the sack 2% thus delivering a sack to the station device and also delivering a sack to the train device. The frame 26 of the train device can then be swung into the car door and the sack 24 taken from the arm 33.-

l have thus provided a very efficient and simple mail handling apparatus.

What is claimed is 1. In a mail handling device, a station device comprising a standard, a frame having upper and lower arms having their inner end portions terminating in eyes for pivotally connecting the frame with the standard, a latching arm extending from said standard above the lower arm, a collar slidaloly mounted upon the lower arm and provided with spring arms for engaging the latching arm of said standard to releasaloly hold the frame in an adjusted position, said collar moving to a position out of engagement with the latching arm when the frame is swung upon the standard, sack holding means connected with the outer end portions of said arms and sack collecting means extending from one of said arms.

2. In a mail handling device, a station device comprising a standard, a frame having upper and lower arms pivotally connected with the standard, latching arm extending from said standard, a collar mounted upon one of the arms and provided with spring arms for engaging the latching arm of said standard to releasably hold the same in an adjusted position, sack holding means connected with said arms, and sack collecting means extending from one of said arms.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM R. WEST.

Witnesses:

T. D. LANINDER, Mrs. W. R. WEST.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Paten'tt. Washington, D. 0. 

